Israel Penned At The Red Sea (MP 44)

God led as a pillar of cloud by day,
And as a pillar of fire in the night;
He led them by the sea and desert way,
Which the Israelites regarded unright!
Hebrews’ trust was fickle, for they were prone
To turn from Moses and God in dismay
At any hardship or trouble unknown,
Expecting miracles to smooth the way!
The shorter route was through Philistine land,
But God knew they were unready for war;
God’s pow’r Pharaoh still did not understand,
So God planned one last plague to gild His star!
Thinking Israel was blocked by the Red Sea,
Pharaoh’s army charged to crush Israel’s spree!

Scripture Quoted (NIV)
Exodus 13:17—“When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, ‘If they face war they might change their minds and return to Egypt.’ “

Exodus 14:3-4—“ ‘Pharaoh will think, The Israelites are wandering around in confusion, hemmed in by the desert. And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them. But I will gain glory for myself …’ “

Exodus 14:10—“As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord. They said to Moses, ‘Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die?’ “

Commentary on Exodus 13:17-14:12 (NIV)
Although the Israelite men were armed, their exodus had just begun, and they were moving in an unorganized heterogeneous mass, a mixture of men, women, children, and livestock. The shortest route to Canaan was eastward through Philistia. There was no Red Sea or desert to cross; however, the Philistines were certain to mount an armed resistance. Therefore God took them southward, which meant they had to choose between entering the desert or crossing the Red Sea.

In two days they reached a place that looked like a death trap—the desert to the south and the broad Red Sea to the east; they camped, unable to proceed. When they saw Pharaoh’s army—over six hundred chariots—approaching. the Hebrews cried out to God and turned on Moses. The race of Jacob’s offspring turned out to be obstreperous and fickle in the extreme; this was just the first of many such rebellious turnings against God and His prophets that they mounted during the next 1500 years of their history.

Of course, this outburst, nor any others that were to occur, was no surprise to God. He had known in advance every fault and shortcoming in every person before He released the first burst of energy to begin creation, and solutions for every setback were planned ahead of time. In this occasion, He was not finished with Pharaoh. It was His intent from the outset to reveal to mankind the full extent of His power by demolishing Pharaoh and Egypt completely, so that human beings would ascribe to Him the glory One of His immense might was due. God’s primary purpose in creating Man is to be glorified commensurate with One who is supreme. That’s the reason He hardened Pharaoh’s heart repeatedly: To demonstrate ever-increasing levels of power. He had an even greater feat yet to reveal. so He hardened Pharaoh’s heart once more, even though the slaying of Egypt’s firstborn sons had seemed stupendous enough. What He was about to do was even greater.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him will not die, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)